Lied Center announces Foreigner as first 25th anniversary season headliner

            Universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world, Foreigner will perform at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Lied Center for Performing Arts on Nov. 14 as part of the Lied's 25th anniversary season.

            With 10 multi-platinum albums, 16 Top 30 hits and sales exceeding 75 million, Foreigner is responsible for some of rock 'n' roll's most enduring anthems, including "Juke Box Hero," "Feels Like the First Time" and "I Want to Know What Love Is." Tickets will be available for purchase as part of a 2014-15 season ticket package starting May 15. If the performance is not sold out through season ticket orders, remaining tickets will be available for single ticket purchase starting Aug. 19. Tickets start at $58 for adults, $29 for students. For more information, call the Lied Center Ticket Office at 402-472-4747.

            "Foreigner has left an undeniable mark on rock and roll history," said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center. "Their numerous hit songs remain as relevant and recognizable today as they were when they were first released. The Lied Center is thrilled to host these iconic artists as part of our biggest season yet in honor of our 25th year as Nebraska's Home for the Arts."

            Foreigner's formidable musical arsenal continues to propel sold-out tours. At Foreigner's core is founder and lead guitarist Mick Jones, the visionary maestro whose stylistic songwriting, indelible guitar hooks and multi-layered talents continue to escalate Foreigner's influence, along with lead vocalist Kelly Hansen, bass guitarist Jeff Pilson and multi-instrumentalist Tom Gimbel.

            The group produced the hits "Feels Like the First Time," "Cold as Ice" and "Long, Long Way From Home" on its debut album in 1976. The album "Double Vision" followed, as did a string of hits like "Urgent," "Juke Box Hero" and "Waiting for a Girl Like You." Those songs helped give Foreigner's next album, "4," its impressive run at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. At the zenith of '80s sound, Foreigner's fifth album, "Agent Provocateur," gave the world the incredible No. 1 global hit "I Want to Know What Love Is." This musical milestone followed the record-breaking song "Waiting for a Girl Like You."

            Foreigner hit the Billboard charts again with the 2005 release of its live greatest hits album, "Extended Versions." "Can't Slow Down" followed in 2009, and entered the Billboard chart in the Top 30, driven by two Top 20 radio singles, "In Pieces" and "When it Comes to Love." To follow was the release of the band's three-disc set, "Feels Like the First Time," which included an acoustic CD with an intimate and unique re-interpretation of many Foreigner classics, studio re-records by the new lineup and a live performance DVD showcasing the group's exceptional live energy.

            Foreigner experienced another surge in popularity when several of its hits were featured on the "Rock of Ages" soundtrack, including "I Want to Know What Love Is," "Juke Box Hero" and "Waiting for a Girl Like You" -- more songs than any other one band on the soundtrack. Hollywood quickly took note, and several more tracks were featured in hit films "Anchorman 2," "Magic Mike" and "Pitch Perfect," sending Foreigner downloads up 400 percent. The video game industry was soon to follow. The blockbuster release, "Grand Theft Auto V," featured Foreigner's "Dirty White Boy" and "Hot Blooded" and was included in the November 2013 release of "BandFuse." The high visibility of Foreigner's songs continues to introduce the band's music to a whole future generation of fans.

            "Juke Box Heroes," a new compilation of digitally recorded Foreigner hits, spent more than 20 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 in 2013. The 2008 "No End in Sight" album re-entered the Billboard Top 200, joining "Juke Box Heroes" in July 2013. Additionally, "Juke Box Heroes" spent most of 2013 on the Nielsen SoundScan Top 200 Catalog chart. It rose to No. 4 on that chart in September, an astonishing feat that allowed Foreigner's catalog sales that week to eclipse those of AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Van Halen and most of its classic rock peers (Source: Nielsen SoundScan Top 200, Sept. 15, 2013).

            In June 2013, Mick Jones was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. A multi-talented and multi-dimensional "musician's musician," Jones has also written songs such as "Bad Love" with Eric Clapton and "Dreamer" with Ozzy Osbourne, and produced records for others, including Billy Joel's "Storm Front" and Van Halen's "5150." A Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter, Jones was the winner of the British Ivor Novello Songwriter Award for "The Flame Still Burns," the soundtrack music for the film "Still Crazy."

            This performance is made possible by the support of the Lied Center's media partner, 92.9 The Eagle.

Writer: Carrie Christensen